How is your estate plan looking these days? If you created it years ago and have not kept it up to date, it might not match up with your wishes anymore. Our lives hardly ever remain static for an extended period of time, so it’s only natural that an estate plan would slowly—or sometimes rapidly—fall […]
It’s unfortunate that many Americans are loaded down with more financial debt than they can afford. There can be many reasons for this, but typically it’s the result of some significant change in financial circumstances. For example, losing a job can leave someone unable to continue making payments at the same level. If you’ve reached […]
Getting what you deserve in a lawsuit for pain and suffering isn’t always a straightforward process. An identical plaintiff might get significantly different results from different attorneys. A pro per plaintiff (someone who represents themselves) is almost sure to have a less satisfying and drastically different outcome. Even though the goal is always the same, […]
Creating a trust or multiple trusts is an indispensable part of the estate planning process for many people. Trusts offer many advantages. They can reduce taxes, simplify the probate process, and give the grantor (the person who creates the trust) some amount of control over how their assets are used and managed even after they […]
Many people don’t have an estate plan in place. They may be young or believe they don’t have enough assets. Others recognize the need for one but try to do it all on their own. While we understand the impulse to avoid hiring an attorney, the benefits generally far outweigh the drawbacks and risks of […]
When it comes to estate planning, every case is as diverse and unique as the people involved. Luckily, modern estate planning offers a wide array of tools to accommodate virtually anybody’s goals. What is right for you will largely depend on the nature of your estate and those who you want to benefit from it. […]
It’s often said that the only two certainties in life are death and taxes; one could probably also add that not only are taxes a certainty, so is Congress’s tendency to make regular changes to tax laws. This year is no different, though. Major adjustments to tax policy are not surprising with a change in […]
Imagine if someone intentionally burned down your house. You would be entitled to recover damages from the person who did it, of course, but how do you calculate the value of your losses? In a lawsuit, can you get damages for your personal pain and suffering? It’s easy to determine the economic damages—the value of […]
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to estate planning. What works well for one person or family might be different for someone else, depending on factors such as the size of their estate, whether they have young children, etc. When deciding on an appropriate estate plan, one of the more common questions people have is about […]
In California, as in other states, professionals in a wide variety of fields are required to hold a license in order to practice their trade. Such professions range from medical doctors to accountants to private investigators. Each has a licensing board or other authority that makes and enforces rules on competence, ethical standards, and more. […]
Whether a worker is designated as an independent contractor or employee has significant consequences both for the employer and the worker. Most of these consequences are financial; employers are not required to pay unemployment insurance, payroll taxes, health benefits, vacation time, and more. In return, ideally, the contractor has more control over their schedule, how […]
Digital assets have grown massively in popularity in recent years. One need only look at the explosion of cryptocurrency and non-fungible token (NFT) trading to understand how much money is being invested in this area. With this growth has also come a new, and sometimes tricky, set of considerations for those trying to plan their […]
Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) go by a few names: an in-law house, granny flat, carriage house, backyard cottage, and more. They are increasingly popular with homeowners looking to provide a living space for family members or to generate monthly rental income. With a housing crunch affecting much of California, the state government has a strong […]
Immigration policy in the United States has been a contentious issue for just about the entirety of the country’s existence. In recent years, under the Obama administration, then the Trump administration, and now President Biden, the government’s position on immigration is about as volatile as it’s ever been. With over 35 million lawful immigrants living […]
California has a long history of trendsetting and experimentation when it comes to its laws. Some may complain about over-regulation, but the state is often ahead of the curve. For example, when California first legalized marijuana for medical use in 1996, it was considered a drastic move; now cannabis is legal in some form in […]
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